Anatomy of all-staff meetings
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Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
All-staff meetings are one of the most common ways for business leaders to connect with employees, keep them informed and get face time, but internal communicators still struggle to find the perfect recipe for these meetings.
Why it matters: U.S. companies spend tens of billions of dollars each year on company-wide gatherings, and if done incorrectly these meetings can be a huge waste of time and resources.
State of play: Shallot Communications convened a focus group of roughly 50 top internal corporate communicators — 85% work for companies with more than 200 employees and 60% with more than 1,000 employees— to get a sense for how all staff meetings are run and measured.
Details: Across the board, the group reported that their company all-staff meetings are widely attended and last roughly one hour.
- The majority of meetings are held on a monthly basis (34%), followed by quarterly meetings (27%) and weekly meetings (13%).
- Plus, those that survey employees immediately after the meetings found that most view the meetings as positive and a good use of time.
- CEOs are also highly involved in programming the meeting, according to the focus group.
Zoom in: Programming varies depending on industry, but the internal communicators Shallot spoke with report that CEO updates and Q&A sessions are the most popular, with several noting this is the only time more junior employees get to hear directly from senior leaders.
Yes, but: The Q&A sessions are a big pain point for those leading the meeting.
- Employees can be critical of responses that appear too scripted, some CEOs don't like being in the hot seat and many have seen the meeting go south due to pointed, anonymous questions.
However, once a certain level of transparency has been established, it's hard to walk it back, and comms teams should anticipate leaks.
- "Always treat [the meeting] as though it's external, because so many things do leak," says Teal Pennebaker, Shallot Communications co-founder and former head of business of operations and tech for Amazon's worldwide communications team.
- "Employees are the most important advocates for a company, and [an executive] needs to feel comfortable having the customers hear what is said to them."
Reality check: These meetings shouldn't happen in a vacuum. All employee meetings must be part of a broader communications strategy.
- Other common programming features include customer testimonials, employee spotlights and company milestones that tie back to engagement strategies.
The bottom line: "This is a CEO's moment to rally the team and make them feel like they are part of something," says Pennebaker.
- "The CEOs who see employees as the biggest advocates for the company and approach these meetings as a moment to connect and to share their vision are the ones who tend to be the most successful."
